Congratulations on your purchase.

A few things to put in your tool kit would be a spare spark plug, air filter, chain breaker, master link and half link.

The chain will loosen slightly after adjusting it but don't worry about it. Chances are it will not get any looser.

The spare spark plug is a real necessity. When the plugs decide to give up the ghost there is no advance warning just silence. It is also nice to have if your quad goes swimming and needs to be restarted.

The two strokes are very sensitive to changes in air&fuel ratios, air density and temperature, so a clean air filter is a must.
If you get your air filter wet, it is usually finished. If you ride in packs on dusty roads it does not take long to clog a filter either. In any case get yourself a spare to leave in your tow vehicle.

You can pick up some top speed and acceleration by tweaking the adjustment of the air screw. 1/8 of a turn can make a big difference and net you 3 to 5 mph on the top end.

Using synthetic oil will virtually eliminate smoke and reduces odors significantly. I like the Amsoil but Rotax Oil is also great and is available at Walmart for about $17 per gallon. If you are on a budget, Injex from Phillips 66 can be purchased for about 9$ a gallon and also works very well.

Your chain and sprockets should be good for about 2000 miles or more if you do not mud much. When the sprocket's teeth hook and your chain kinks, pick up the phone and call Dennis Kirk. They have the best price on quality sprockets and chain. Avoid the temptation to call Sidewinder, they will sell you the same chain for $30 more and the front sprocket for $10 more.

Lube the chain with Bel-Ray chain wax when the chain is clean and warmed up.

Lubricate your rear axle carrier before or after every ride and you should never have a problem with rear axle bearings. The rear carrier loves to suck water in past the seals when the carrier gets hot. Don't forget to lube your swing arm bushings frequently also.

Because the electric starter is located on the bottom of this engine you will encounter more starter maintenance over the life of the quad than you would on a 500 4 stroke. Keep the recoil starter housing drained and it should last longer.

Be careful if you rope start the machine from the driver's seat. You could groove the plastic on your engine covers.

Keep an eye on the wheel lug tightness for the right rear wheel. For some unknown reason these machines like to loosen the lug nuts on this wheel. The spec. is 50 ft. lbs.

If your engine runs rough, always change the spark plug first and inspect the air cleaner before proceeding to other remedies. In most cases these two things will eliminate most problems.

You should get somewhere between 16 and 19 mpg.

Oh... you will never get a straight answer from any Polaris dealership personnel on how much oil your ATV should use. (they like quads that use a lot of oil and foul plugs as it is more profitable and they do less warranty work)

Those are items that I can think of right now. Best of luck. We have had 3 400s in our family and I love the smell of two stroke in the morning!

Xplorer 400s are a lot like a beautiful woman, they require a little more maintenance but they are definitely worth it.

They do run good have one in my riding group. Seriously nice quad.

Thor,

Thank you so much for your very detailed post. I've already bought 3 extra plugs to carry along at all times. I hadn't thought too much about the air filter, chain breaker, or master link. Those are good ideas. By the way, how does water get into the recoil housing? I'm aware that the starter is on the bottom of the engine, and there are more problems associated with that, but I'm not sure where water can enter the recoil.
As of now, I've rerouted all vent lines (upper carb, transmission, and counter balancer, up into the instrument panel where the gas and oil tanks are vented to. I've also put a whoozit(from Arctic Cat models) on the front gear box. If you haven't seen one, it looks like an accordian-style plastic piece that expands and contracts with warming and cooling air inside the gear box. This effectively makes the front a sealed unit, thus preventing water entry. My bike also has a new air box. There are 4 clips securing the airbox lid, and the filter is clamped onto the plastic piece that runs between the box and the carb. I've got to get some chain lube pretty soon, but I haven't been through any mud/water yet. It's been so hot and dry here that I haven't gotten a chance to go riding much. I ride it around the house every afternoon, but haven't burned the first tank up yet. Afterwards, I'm going to check the settings on the oil pump, according to the service guy's recommendations, but I'm not sure about the air screw. Where is it at on the carb? When turning it 1/8 turn in, does this make the bike run more lean, possibly causing engine damage? I would like more power, but am cautious about doing something like that. I'll probably get the new updated clutch cover in about a year, as mine didn't come with it. I never had any problems with my sp500's clutch cover, so I'm not sure if I'll update it or not. Any other advice you could offer is greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Waylan

>>By the way, how does water get into the recoil housing?

+ It can enter from the seal around the recoil housing (but unlikely) or the O-rings on the starter itself or from around the electrical connections on the starter. The most likely entry point is at the starter handle itself. I have seen some folks even put a hose clamp around the handle.

My brother in law had so much water in his housing that it froze one night and would not allow the starter or flywheel to rotate.

Oh yeah, your stator is also inside this housing.


Good job on the venting and rerouting the hoses!


>>I'm not sure about the air screw. Where is it at on the carb? When turning it 1/8 turn in, does this make the bike run more lean, possibly causing engine damage?

+ turning the screw in will make the mixture richer- out will lean things out. The air screw is located on the right hand side of the carb toward the back of the machine. The screw toward the front of quad is for the idle speed.

This is well explained in your owners manual and also the addendum which came with your owners manual in the big plastic pouch.

After about 2500 miles the carburetor may require rebuilding (due to engine vibration)which is really simple. Just replace the main jet, pilot jet, needle and the inlet valve. The symptoms are
a 50% drop in fuel economy, rough running and low power off idle, complaints by fellow trail riders about rich smelling exhaust. Chances are the inlet valve is no longer sealing and allowing too much fuel to enter the carburetor and raising your float level. But.... that is a long ways off in the future.

You will probably want to go to the Polaris Web Site and download the parts manual for your machine.

Bill,

I have only ridden 2 Xplorer 400's. A '99 and a '01. They both had stock tires and wheels, and all other stock parts.

Since neither one was mine, I didn't ride them too hard, the '99 wheelied in high but I didn't stand it straight up. The '01 was a dealers so I didn't try to wheely it, but when the owner picked it up, he almost put it on the backrack in high range without using the brake.

Make sure you have traction. Even on my Scrambler it's tough to wheelie sometimes because the tires just spin and spin. On grass though, or street or even hardpack with the right tires, it's really easy.

Doing wheelies on big bikes like the Sportsman or Xplorer isn't very safe, those things are huge! The racks will stop them from coming over most of the time though. Even a Scrambler is a big bike to be doing that with.

Adam,
I never road the Xplorer with the stock tires,so therefore I cant compare wheelies with the Mudrunners vs the stock tires.Im certain that the quad will wheelie much easier with the stock tires though.In low range,with the mudrunners,it will wheelie most all the time.It will lift the front end in high,but it wont wheelie with the Mudrunners in high range though.===Bill